good morning. facing his flock. a well known pastor to haveof aa mega church, accused in a sex scandal, set to face his congregation for the first time today. >> get down, get down. >> emergency landing. frightening moments as a jet liner with its landing gear stuck. coming up. and waiting for superman. the failing on america's public schools. what can be done to save them. a conversation with davis guggenheim. a conversation with davis guggenheim. today, september 26, 2010.

captions paid for by nbc-universal television good morning, everyone. welcome to "today" on a sunday morning. i'm lester holt. normally we would be starting over there at home base, but today we are starting outside. come with me. for weeks we have been telling you about an nbc news initiative called education nation and we are getting started today. education nation is essentially the beginning of a conversation about the state, the status of education in this country right now. our goal is to inspire, to enlighten, to listen, possibly provoke as we try to figure out how our children are learning and why, in some cases, they are failing. why some kids are being left behind in our system. whether or not you have a child in school right now or not, this

matters to you. the president of the united states recently said it's an economic issue. how our children are learning. the conversation will be taking place at a place we call education nation learning plaza. it's just across the street from our studio. there it is. that's where we find my colleague jenna wolfe. >> here we are at education plaza. we converted the plaza into this massive education community right here. it's a pretty large feat and there was a lot involved in putting this together. five days, 120 hours, 200 people working around the clock to construct basically an interactive exhibit about education here on rockefeller plaza. a lot of people have come together.teachers, students, leaders in politics, business and technology to discuss the challenges and opportunities in education today. so this learning plaza right here is going to include a series of five galleries open to

the public and we are going to give you a tour of some of them coming newspaper the next hour. the galleries include interactive tool that is allow you to play around a little bit. not just from here in new york city. you can get a chance to do some of this stuff from the confines of your own home as well. we'll give you a tour over the next hour of everything going on and give you a chance to play around a little bit with some of this. first, we want to get right to it. we're going to start with lester. >> we have a great morning ahead. we're going to begin the conversation with david gregory moderatinging a special edition of "meet the press" here on education plaza. good morning. >> good morning. >> i'm not sure who's the guest of who here. we have heard the numbers. we as a country, 10th in reading literacy, 24th in math, 12th in college completion rates, as you look across the world. this president, every president has run on a platform of education will be a priority. has president obama lived up to the promise?

>> i think he has. the accountability movement in school reform goes to president bush who did you want get a lot of credit because no child left behind was unpopular in many ways and they didn't feel they carried through on it. but trying to hold teachers and school districts accountable is an ingrain part of the movement now. in that way the administration now has gotten -- both sides of the aisle. the problem is so deep, so large that it's going to take a while to make accountability stick. >> one of your guests today, the secretary of education, arnie duncan, said education should be one of the main things people look at when they are choosing a candidate. do voters place this as a priority? it's not the sexy topic sometimes when we look at terrorism and other things. >> i think that's such an interesting point. if you do poll people, we know education ranks so high, but "waiting for superman" the film

that's out this weekend underscores this. you scratch your head and say, gosh, this is a mess. it seems so big. one of the things i want to do this morning is cut to the core of the problems, a, to talk about what's working and how to break down the problems to start addressing them. what's the bottom line? do we have the best teachers in front of our kids? gettingi into that point is wha the reform movement is about. >> the president's weekly radio address talked about the pledge for america, the republican pledge that they have released. one thing they talked about was repealing the health care bill. but most people not only don't want it repealed, they want more added to it. do republicans have to refine the message and take a better look at it? >> from a political point of view if the message is government's out of control. they passed a huge entitlement that will cost a lot of money and have you felt the effects of

it yet? that has the shot to be a winning political message. the more people start to feel health care reform, so the argument goes, it will become more popular. that's not been the case across the board yet with health care reform and that's why the president has to keep hammering away at it. >> this pledge for america, many compare it to the contract from 1994. how does it differ? >> well, it's very similar. it looks specifics that the '94 contract had. one thing that's similar is what's more important than the pledge to america, more important than the contract with america is the political climate in which they are operating. it is the unpopularity of president obama that's hurting democrats more than faith in the republicans which, by the way, is an argument that the president is trying to exploit and say, look, the alternative is not the way to go here. >> good to have you here. looking forward to the broadcast. we want to head inside to tamron

hall with the morning headlines. >> good morning, everyone. we begin with a miracle at jfk airport. a jetliner skidded down the tor mac surrounded by sparks when a faulty landing gear caused the pilot to make an emergency landing. the delta flight diverted to the airport after the right wheel jammed. this video is from a passenger cell phone. amazingly no one was hurt. it is unclear what caused the malfunction. in chile, the first of three rescue capsules arrived at that time mine where 33 people have been trapped since august. the phoenix capsule is equipped with oxygen, communications equipment and an escape hatch in case anything goes wrong during the 15-minute ride back to the surface. officials hope to start the rescue in late october or early november. a crucial deadline today in the effort to keep mideast peace talks alive. direct talks began three weeks ago but a ten-month israeli moratorium on new settlements in

disputed territory expires at midnight. at the u.n. yesterday, mahmoud abbas said israel must choose between peace or letting construction resume. israel has no plans to extend the deadline. in texas, family and friends remembered reggie garrett saturday at a private church service. the 17-year-old collapsed and died during a game last week. another memorial took place at a stadium where teammates honored reggie's number 12. the cause of death has not been determined. finally "snl" kicked off last night. while they poked fun at politicians, the tables were turned when regular target new york governor david paterson stopped by. >> ladies and gentlemen, i wanted to come here tonight before my time as governor of the great state of new york ends to tell you that working in albany is just like watching "saturday night live." there are a lot of characters. it's funny for ten minutes and

then you just want it to be over. >> also making cameos, former cast members jimmy fallon and tina fey along with justin timberlake. now back to the learning plaza with lester and jenna. >> not a bad cast. >> good start to season, yeah. >> thank you very much. it's chilly here in new york this morning, a little bit. let's check on the weather with janice huff on the plaza. >> good morning. it is chilly this morning of 90 degrees in new york. everybody's wearing jackets. i want to show the crowd. we are on the plaza to start and we are typically inside, but there is a huge crowd here in blue shirts. today is -- they are here because of mesothelioma research to make people aware of research, support and advocacy in the fight. we are happy you all came today. thanks for coming down. [ applause ] let's check the weather and see what's happening.

showers and thunderstorms across the southern states today. watch for heavy rain. atlanta, knoxville into the florida panhandle. you could see anywhere from an inch of rain to as much as five inches of rain around tallahassee. there is an area of low pressure there, so it's bringing cooler temperatures. that's good for many southern states and much needed rain slides up the earn seaboard eventually to the northeast as well where we definitely need the rain, too. in the west, the heat wave is in place for california and the southwest. temperatures topping 100 degrees today from las vegas, phoenix, to los angeles. that's what's going on around >> temperatures have been in the 90's the last couple of days. we will slide into

and now here's jenna. >> janice, thanks. this morning services at a mega church in georgia will give its famed pastor the chance to address the congregation for the first time since allegations that he lured young mens into sex with gifts and travel. ron mott is outside the new birth missionary baptist church. ron, good morning. >> reporter: jenna, good morning to you. the allegations stunned the congregation of 25,000 members and touched off debate here in atlanta and around the country especially considering eddie long was silenced this week which he's expected to break today [ applause ] >> somebody needs to celebrate that moment. >> reporter: he's used to audiences hanging ones i every word. today eddie long's congregation is likely to be rapt in

attention like never before. members of his church and a satellite church in north carolina allegedly pressuring them into sex after they reached the legal age of concept. >> manipulation starts at 14 or 15 so basically they are indoctrinated into this man and then he goes forward with the next phase. so the law may not recognize that as child molestation, but manipulation of someone like this and abusing the pastoral relationship this way is not consent. >> reporter: long avoided the public spotlight, issuing messages through a spokesperson and his attorney who read a statement on a nationally syndicated radio talk show. >> let me be clear. the charges against me and new birth are false. i have devoted my life to helping others and these false allegations hurt me deeply. but my faith is strong and the truth will emerge. >> reporter: debate on air and online has been passionate on both sides with the motives

behind the lawsuits taking center stage. 20-year-old maurice robinson was arrested over the summer in connection with a burglary at long's church. the case is still pending. >> everything right now is just because of that. we think it's all lies. >> reporter: eddie long will kra address the allegations in two services this morning. in between he'll meet with the media. >> can we expect more lawsuits in the coming weeks and months against bishop long? >> reporter: there are reports that as many as 30 individuals have gotten in touch with b.j. bernstein, the attorney for the four platforms who have filed. jenna? thank you very much. coming up, we have more on education nation. how one school was able to help student ace choohieve dramatic improvement. that's right after this. but basically, i'm a runner. last year. (oof). i had a bum knee that needed surgery. but it got complicated, because i had an old injury.

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no way. you're busted. [ chuckles ] [ male announcer ] tide stain release. an in-wash booster that works with any detergent, to target and remove tough stains the first time. [ dad ] see? hey, look who's home. huh. what's that? ♪ [ male announcer ] tide stain release. stains out. no doubt. we're back on learning plaza with a sobering fact. only a third of this country's fourth graders are proficient in reading and math. how do you make students perform better? nbc's tamron hall has a story of one elementary school making big strides in north carolina. hey, tamron. >> hey there. according to the national education association, 73% of teachers enter the profession because they want to help young people. my mother was an educator for years, so i know firsthand that one person can really make a difference. like most modest parents kim

miller-dixon calls her son javan her baby genius. >> have a good day. >> reporter: at nine years old he's in a hurry to head off to 4th grade, but if you ask one of his former teachers -- >> he was more worried about fooling around, getting people to laugh at him. he didn't have the direction he needed. >> reporter: his grades, bs and cs and sometimes worse, that was last year. today -- >> what was your problem? >> i forgot to put a zero. i got an a in math, a in literacy. >> reporter: his progress report is just one example of the remarkable change taking place at sterling elementary school in north carolina. in 2008 only 26% of 3rd graders passed standardized reading tests. 41% passed math. this year, the students improved dramatically -- 66% passed reading, 86% passed math.

>> it was a reality check for the staff that it was as bad as it was. >> reporter: principal nancy guzman came to sterling to lead the school's turnaround under a program called the strategic staffing initiative she was offered a 10% raise to run sterling. the flexibility to remove five ineffective teachers and the ability to give $20,000 bonuses to hire five of the best teachers in the district. >> it's bringing in the best teachers that we can find and putting these teachers in a situation where they can thrive. >> does the number have power? >> reporter: kurt thompson is one of the teachers. his track record showed he's effective at taking students with low test scores and helping them become successful. >> someone has to be interested in their life. somebody has to take an interest in them and the walls will come down. they will open up to you and trust you. that's when the learning happens. >> reporter: it was the

individual attention jevon needed to still have fun while focusing on the future. >> he knows what he wants to be. he's going to yale to be a brain surgeon and he is constantly making sure that what he's doing is going to get him to that end. >> i want to get my master's degree, my bachelor's degree, my doctoral degree. that should take pretty long, but the hard work pays off. >> reporter: what a touching story. that's just one principal in north carolina turning around one of the poorest performing schools and making it a class act. lester? >> that's a great story. hey, i know the tent you're in will be a town meeting later. who will be here? >> reporter: it will be packed with teachers from across the country. i will be in the audience looking for teacher who is want to ask questions. they are on the front lines. they are the people we must listen to in order to move forward.

they can tell us what's working, what's not. they are the voices, if you will, for the students they say every day in the classroom. this will be packed with teachers from across the country. brian williams will moderate it. we'll hear candid conversation and the goal is to turn it into action. >> thank you very much. we'll be back after these messages. ve asthma. and when my symptoms came back i'd get this tightness in my chest. so i went back to my doctor again. we chose symbicort to help control my asthma symptoms. [ man ] symbicort improves my lung function... starting within 15 minutes. [ woman ] symbicort will not replace a rescue inhaler for sudden symptoms. it is a combination of two medicines and should not be taken more often than prescribed. [ man ] symbicort contains formoterol. medicines like formoterol increase the risk of death from asthma problems, and children and adolescents may have an increased risk of being hospitalized for asthma problems. [ woman ] symbicort is not for people whose asthma is well controlled with a long-term asthma control medicine like inhaled corticosteroids.

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still to come on "today," "waiting for superman" a powerful film making people question how we educate children in this country. and ken burns is back with a look at the scandals and

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police shot a man yesterday morning in northwest baltimore. shots rang out just before 5:00 a.m. in the 3400 block of hayward avenue appeared the 32 year-old was struck several times in the chest. there is no word on a possible motive. annapolis police investigate another shooting this sent a 34 year-old man to shock trauma. a man is charged with first- degree assault and a handgun violation. it happened and just after 5:30 yesterday morning at harbor house. the victim was rushed to shock trauma and is expected to survive. a 5k run is scheduled later today in honor of yardely love. love is a graduate of the school that will raise money for a new field in her name.

on friday, a charlottesville judge will set a preliminary hearing date for george hinckley, love's ex- boyfriend charged with murder. in a few hours, the first ravens home game will begin. a study estimates that ravens home games in 2006 and helped generate roughly $216 million in business sales statewide. they hope that the same effects will be felt this year. >> it brings energy downtown. people come downtown early, they go into restaurants before and after the game. everybody is very excited about it. >> traffic is expected to be brutal on this game day. more so than usual due to construction and lane closures on downtown artist. experts suggest using public

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>> it will be a lot cooler today the last couple of days. we will see some off and on rainshowers as we had to this afternoon. keep that in mind as you go to the game. the high temperatures and low to mid 70's. a chance for a few rain showers tonight. sun set at 6:57. a better chance for rain on monday. a wet start for the work week.

a chance for a thunderstorm on tuesday. wednesday looks nice. by the time we hit next weekend, temperatures could be in the 60's. >> thank you for joining us. see you at 9:00. we're back on this sunday morning, the 26th day of september, 2010. it's a great day on our plaza. our thanks to everyone who came down to say hello to us, to friends and family back home. thanks, guys. outside on the learning plaza, i'm jenna wolfe along with lester holt. we kicked off the week-long discussion about education in our country. coming up we are going to show you what's inside each of the five galleries displayed here on the plaza. >> i was taking a quick tour. cool interactive stuff designed to show us how our schools, teachers, students, communities

are connected. perspectives on the individual learner to the community and the nation as a whole. you can take part in the summit from home. we'll show you how in a few minutes. >> we have been talking about the documentary all morning, "waiting for superman" the documentary that outraged people and leaves them questioning this country's education system. this film follows five children whose education and future depend on winning the lottery. the film has a lot of people talking and this morning we'll meet the oscar winning director of the movie. >> if it was meant to provoke information my wife and i have been talking about nothinging else since we saw it. another film maker joins us this morning. ken burns. 16 years after his hit series "baseball" in 1994, the product of the history of america's past time, burns is back with "the 10th inning." we'll talk to him in a few minutes. >> this i'm excited about. i saw part of the first one and he rarely does sequels.

we have a lot to get to. let's start off with another check of the weather and janice huff. >> we're going to look at the weather. it's cooling off in the east and heating up in the west. temperaturewise across the nation, readings in the 60s and 70s in northeast. it was around 90 yesterday in new york city and warm temperatures. same thing tomorrow. a slight risk of severe weather expected across parts of virginia down through coastal carolinas and into georgia. tomorrow afternoon from the storm system that's moving that way with heavy rain today and more heavy rain tomorrow and the showers up the eastern seaboard. mild temperatures across the great lakes. warm weather over the rockies and texas. plenty of sunshine over the western two-thirds of the nation west of the mississippi river. in the pacific northwest we'll have clouds. it looks like the hawaiian islands and alaska, sunshine there and quiet weather,

>> temperatures have been in the 90's the last couple of days. we will slide into remember, when we're not here you can always check your weather on weather.com. time to talk about the football forecast because tonight is football night in america. sunday night football here on nbc. it looks like we are going to see temperatures in south florida in the 80s for your game tonight. the jets against the dolphins at sun life stadium. 30% chance of showers and thunderstorms. that's not bad. it should be mostly dry. that's a check of the football forecast. here's lester. >> we're very excited about

learning plaza. it will open to the public later today. it includes a series of five galleries open to the public to allow visitors and viewers at home to explore america's educational eco-system, if you will. i have an exhibit here where you can find your style of learning. can you answer the clues? let's find out. the idea is to find out how you learn. that's the key. adapting education to an individual's learning style. the exhibit is designed to tell us how we learn. that's the first exhibit. there are many ways we learn, reading, listening, analyzin analyzinging. there are new strategies to tailor instruction to individual needs. the school of one is about an experimental program in new york city whose story you will see inside this gallery. the school creates an individual curriculum for each student customized to his or her needs and the way they learn best.

teachers in school of one gathered data about student performance and adapt the live lessons accordingly. it gives kids a chance to excel because they are learning in the way that's best for them. a way for you to get involved at home is pretty cool. log onto educationnation.com. we've got on there a learning assessment tool. it helps you figure out how you learn. they ask questions from if you're a good listener, do you like to listen to music when you study, questions like that. log on, take a short quiz and it will determine if you learn visually, physically, logically. so it's very cool stuff. do it at home. if you can come down and visit this later today, that's even better. now to jenna. where are you? >> i'm next door in the educator petal which is about teachers and educators. these are the people that made us fall in love with school. we have a lot of things here. this is karen fizetti, one of

the teachers. this is an interactive kiosk where you can record a video message to a teacher if you like and be on camera to talk about why you loved your teacher or who your educator was who you were fond of. you can do this here or online if you're at home. >> absolutely, yeah. >> over here, i like this. this is a teacher tribute card station where a lot of people at nbc from all different shows have taken a card and filled it out. they have written it to their favorite teacher and pegged it on the board. i will do mine now. this is to my 4th grade teacher, mrs. goens. i have a lot to write. thank you for making me believe that even a class clown in 4th grade could turn out to be the host of the "today" show. i will write out the rest in long form because she taught me how to do it. we're here with karen now.

what do you think of this? >> incredible. there are 50 educators here from all over the country that are amazing at what they do. it's neat to be a part of the group. there are 50 of us but we are the products of amazing teachers and we have amazing teachers across the hall from us. >> you will give 15-minute demonstrations. >> i'll be teaching here today. >> what's your demonstration? >> i'm teaching about three different poetic devices. it's an english language arts lesson geared to high school on alliteration, consonents. >> in literature. >> so it's getting a spotlight. >> and you're making it fun. >> it's great. >> enjoy your time here. enjoy the different petals. now over to tamron who's at another one. >> i'm in the nation pod or petal. you can see what our national leaders have to say about education. folks can come in and hear what

they think. also we have another interactive thing that's cool that you can do here or at home. you can look up the score card for the public school in your area. with me is lisa girsch from nbc news. good morning. how do you feel looking around and seeing that this is a reality now? >> it's fantastic. our goal really was to create a conversation about the state of education, talk about why it matters and talk about solutions. one of the solutions we have come up with is a tool for parents which is an easy to access web tool which can help tell you how your child's school is doing. >> how it ranks nationwide. >> within the district and how it ranks with other schools in the state and then how is your state doing? >> this school is near my mother's home. it's a good elementary school, i think. let's see what the numbers are. >> great. >> you would type in the school. we have north joshua elementary school. 92% of 4th graders passed their reading exam.

98% of 4th graders are passing their math exam. that compares to 84% and 86% in the state. that school is doing great. that's something you need to know. how is your school doing? >> the next step here? >> if you want to find out how your state is doing, one key factor is high school graduation rates. let's look at the best state in the country and that's wisconsin. 90% of its students are graduating high school in four years. nevada, 51% are graduating in four years. that state is having an issue. what's critical is for people to understand why it matters. look at high school annual incomes. $26,000 if you graduate with a high school diploma and $17,000 if you don't. >> you can do this actually at home. if you are at home go to -- >> educationnation.com. >> there are tips on what you need to do if you're a parent and how to build a relationship with the principal and teachers at your school.

this is fantastic. up next, davis guggenheim after these messages.

we're going to talk now about a documentary that has a lot of people fired up. "waiting for superman" is directed by academy award winner davis guggenheim. he hopes the story about the state of american education starts a national conversation about our public schools. here's a little bit. >> i want to be a nurse.

>> i want to be a doctor. >> how come? >> because i would like to help somebody in need. >> you wake up every morning and you know that kids are getting a really crappy education right now. >> so you think most of the kids are getting a crappy education right now? >> i don't think they are. i know they are. >> davis guggenheim joins us now at learning plaza. thanks for being here. i saw the movie on friday. it is incredibly provocative and has people talking. you explored education in 1999. you did a film about teachers in their first year of teaching in los angeles. was that what inspired you to go back and look at what's happening in the schools? >> yeah. i saw these teachers and they brought so much passion and wanted to change the lives of kids. when i saw what happened outside the classroom, i realized that someone needed to tell the story about the system that is really broken and we are not going to fix our schools unless we deal with that. >> the whole title "waiting for

superman" is we keep waiting for someone to save our schools. you basically follow five children whose parents are invested in wanting the kids to get a great education. they are not in great schools and they are in a lottery to get into better schools. how did you choose them? are they representative of -- how many kids in this country? >> you fall in love with daisy, anthony and bianca. daisy wants to be a doctor and you believe she can be. her parents are working double shifts to make her a doctor. you realize the only way she's going to do it is if she wins the lottery, if the ball bounces her way. it's heart-breaking. you realize what's at stake. and there are millions like her. >> that's the point. it's the luck of the draw. where you live, you end up going to a neighborhood school unless you can get into the schools. >> we thought the problem was over there. maybe those kids, the poor kids. now it's everywhere.

it's families like my family who need to play the lottery to find a great school. >> you have interesting statistics in here. one in 57 doctors lose their medical license. one in 97 attorneys lose their law license. for teachers only one in 2500 have lost their credentials. randy winegardener is featured and she saw the film. i want you to hear her comments. >> this is not about whether charter schools, which are public schools, whether they are good or bad in my mind. this is whether they work or not. 80% of the charter schools in the united states of america do no better or worse than the traditional public schools in america. so when a film will look at one or two or three charter schools and say, see, this is the silver bullet and you know the data, you know that's wrong. >> i realize you couldn't hear that. she's making the point that charter schools are not all they

are trumped up to be, that many of them do fail. >> right. >> i guess the thrust of the movie is that tends to be the alternative to underperforming schools. >> we are failing millions of kids. these parents don't care what the school is called. it could be a charter, magnet or district school. they just want a great school. i showed the film yesterday to 50 teachers from all across the country, great teachers. for me it was the most important thing because it was packed full of just teachers. >> some could argue it's anti-teacher. you get into areas of the rubber rooms in new york, that teachers are failing kids. >> the teachers loved the movie. they disagreed a little bit, but there was a conversation. i think what the movie basically says is what every parent knows. a great education is having a great teacher standing in front of the kids every morning. >> you feature folks here who have tried to be game changers

in education. you have michelle reed, 30-something who became a chancellor of the washington, d.c. embattled schools. jeffrey canada became a national -- created the harlem children's zone. how much were you inspired by these individuals and what was their frustration as they tried to effect change in a short time? >> they feel the stakes. what's exciting is a revolution is happening. the revolution has come up from teachers, all the people you mentioned, all the reformers that are proving you can teach every kid and even some of the toughest neighborhoods, these came from teachers. they have now proven that it can be done. now it's about getting enough political will. people believing and making tough choices to give every kid in america a great education. >> it's provocative. it has people talking and people should see it. davis, thanks for talking about "waiting for superman." we're going to be screening the film to invited guests here at

learning plaza tonight. it will be interesting to get their thoughts. many of them are educators. we are going to talk about another film maker and "the 10th inning" after these messages. subway has breakfast. and it's a slam dunk. i like my breakfast sandwich with green peppers, onion, banana peppers and mustard. i like eggs with black forest ham on wheat. with everything. i like a little kick. that's a good call. i like mine with egg whites. and... a napkin. [ male announcer ] have you built your better breakfast? now's the time! try our better-for-you western egg white muffin melt or the dee-licious double bacon egg and cheese on toasty flatbread. subway. build your better breakfast. on toasty flatbread. new revlon just bitten.

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in 1994, ken burns' film "baseball" was watched by the most viewers ever on pbs. now he's back with "the 10th inning," a continuation which covers baseball history since then from the rise of new ballparks and international players to one of the game's darkest eras. here's a look. >> the game would have to go through its own dark ages before it would emerge stronger than ever before. and behind the scenes, in

secret, players on every team found themselves making life altering decisions about how far they were willing to go to succeed. >> ken burns has been kind enough to join us today. thanks for being with us. >> my pleasure. >> so "the 10th inning" documents the most recent history of baseball. this is a rare sequel for you. you don't often do those. you have a passion for this. >> i love the game. it's the greatest game still that's ever been invented. when you see the strike and the steroids you want to understand it more than just the superficial binary judgments we usually make. so we have been struggling for the last several years to come to terms. how do we understand it, say, in comparison to the gambling scandals that afflicted baseball from time to time. the good news is the resiliency of the game is the star. there were no more .300 hitters.

no pitchers had 35, 40 games. so we have the genie back in the bottle. we still have to go back and try to figure out how to tell our kids, our grandkids how to understand this so-called steroids era. >> when people talk to you about it, is that the biggest issue? >> they cringe. do you do steroids? please say you would avoid it. we have to talk about it. >> it's a huge part of the game. >> and these people are role models. if they are taking steroids you know junior and high school kids are beinging encouraged to do it, too. >> let's listen to a clip from chris rock who does talk about steroids. listen. >> people get upset. who in the whole country wouldn't take a pill to make more money at their job? you would. hey, there's a pill and you will get paid like steven spielberg, you would take the pill.

>> he's being funny but makes a good point. >> that's a hugely important point. we take pills to do better in the bedroom, to wake up, go to sleep. we give our kids pills to do better in school but we are shock-shocked when our greatest players take them. i'm not excusing it. i'm saying we have to understand the way in which all of these things -- baseball, our institutions -- are tied in to the rest of us and we have to have a more nuanced and complicated view and then we can get beyond it, understand it. if we demonize roger clemens and barry bonds, we don't do anything to help ourselves realize that baseball is a mirror of us. when our greatest players are succumbing to this temptation we have to look out. the bull yanke's eye is on us, >> and baseball is a reflection of us. >> the bronx zoo, 9/11 and how it helped bring the country back

together. the red sox improbable victory. the joy of the game is there but we felt we just could not not deal with this. >> how long? >> two two-hour pieces. >> and you needed more. >> the biggest complaint is what was left out. >> "the 10th inning." thank you very much. we'll be right back after this. words alone aren't enough. our job is to listen and find ways to help workers who lost their jobs to the spill. i'm iris cross.

we'll keep restoring the jobs, tourist beaches, and businesses impacted by the spill. we've paid over $400 million in claims and set up a $20 billion independently-run claims fund. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. i'm gonna be here until we make this right. old gibbs canning company. today these factories are full of dot com businesses. and now my job is helping maryland create new economy jobs. training new math and science teachers investing in our institutions of excellence pioneering new cyber security jobs and giving an old gm plant a jump start building electric motors.

i'm barbara mikulski. i approve this message so you'll know i'm fighting for you. a city down on its luck with high unemployment and little hope suddenly gets noticed and is the middle of a glamorous a reinvention. it's happening in a city known more for blight than box office potential. more from peter alexander. >> reporter: think of it as

hollywood on lake huron. on the set of the horror film "hostile 3" this film takes place in las vegas but is being shot in a less glitzy location that could use the dollars -- detroit. >> we can't bring hope to a community. story tellers can't bring hope, i'm not sure who can. ♪ >> reporter: the motor city itself is now cast in its first prime time network drama "detroit 187" and it's rolled out the red carpet for other productions including "up in the air". >> to know me is to fly with me. this is where i live. >> reporter: and the hbo series "hung". >> let's pretend we are on the winning streak we are going to start tonight. >> reporter: why michigan? film-makers are attracted by incentives. for every dollar they spend they get up to 42 cents back from the state's government. critics say it's a losing proposition for michigan taxpayers but supporters say it's already helping improve the

state's image. >> our young people are staying. people are coming back from l.a., new york, to michigan, calling it home again. it's incredible. >> reporter: downtown detroit has doubled as manhattan, paris, even prague in recent pictures. "transformers 3" is shooting here this month. the state of michigan is a film factory. in 2007 before its aggressive tax incentives, just three productions were filmed here. this year they expect more than 50. they will bring in more than $300 million. the state's entertainment industry has created 7,000 new jobs. chris jordan, a laid off electrician, is now a lighting technician. >> without this here, without this opportunity, we definitely would be out of a job. >> reporter: producers say despite a bad rap, detroit hasn't seen its final act. >> detroit is in a resurgent period. it's not down and dead. it's coming back. we're happy to be here and be a part of it. >> reporter: detroit has gone hollywood to give its residents new optimism and hope.

for "today," peter alexander, nbc news, detroit. and we want to get a check of what's coming up on "meet the press." hey, david. >> good to be with you guys in new york. good morning. coming up, republicans this week unveiled their pledge to america. will it be enough to persuade the country to allow america to take back congress. joining me, mike pence, chris van holland and we kick off nbc's education nation. arnie duncan, robert bob all coming up on "meet the press" from new york. >> we've acting like you're hundreds of miles away. thanks! you're right over there. and president obama will kick off our education nation week tomorrow morning on "today." matt lauer will interview the president at 8:00 eastern on "today." tune in for that. >> thanks to janice and tamron for being with us. we'll look for the teacher town hall you are taking part in with brian williams today at noon on

msnbc. get involved and check in by logginging onto educationnation.com to be part of this. so long, everybody. of this. so long, everybody. have a good sunday. >> executive director of enoch pratt free library, dr. carla hayden, will be joining us to answer your questions. >> we have the latest fall fashion tips. >> rainshowers and cooler temperatures are back in the forecast. we will give you the details in